Your survival during a tornado depends almost entirely on decisions you make in the minutes before it arrives. The single most important action is getting to the lowest, most interior space available and protecting your head. Most tornado deaths result from flying debris, not wind itself, and nearly half of all tornado-related hospitalizations involve head injuries. Knowing where to go, what to avoid, and how to act after the storm passes can dramatically change your odds.
Get to an Interior Room on the Lowest Floor
If you’re in a house with a basement, get down there immediately. Crouch under a sturdy workbench or staircase if one is available. If your home doesn’t have a basement, go to a small interior room on the lowest floor: a bathroom, closet, or hallway. The goal is to put as many walls as possible between you and the outside. A bathroom with plumbing in the walls can offer slightly more structural reinforcement than an empty closet, though either is far better than an open room.
Stay away from windows and exterior walls. Avoid large open rooms like living rooms, kitchens, or garages, where roofs are more likely to collapse inward. If you have time, pull a mattress over yourself or get into a bathtub and cover yourself with cushions or blankets. These won’t stop a wall from falling, but they can absorb the impact of smaller debris that causes the majority of injuries.
Protect Your Head Above All Else
Head injuries are the leading cause of tornado-related deaths in the United States. During the 2011 Alabama tornadoes, head trauma accounted for 46.5% of hospitalizations, 56.3% of intensive care admissions, and 71.4% of deaths. Those numbers make one recommendation very clear: put a helmet on.
A bicycle helmet, motorcycle helmet, football helmet, or even a hard hat significantly reduces your risk of a fatal head injury from flying debris. Keep helmets accessible wherever you shelter. If you have children, fitting them with helmets should be your first priority once you reach your safe room. If no helmet is available, crouch face-down with your hands clasped behind your neck and your arms protecting the sides of your head.
Leave a Mobile Home Immediately
Mobile and manufactured homes are the deadliest place to be during a tornado. On average, 54% of all tornado fatalities in homes occur in mobile homes, and you are 15 to 20 times more likely to die in a mobile home than in a permanent structure. Even a relatively weak EF-1 tornado, with winds between 86 and 110 mph, can completely destroy a manufactured home.
The safest plan is to leave before a warning is issued. If a tornado watch is announced for your area, that’s your signal to go. Head to a nearby permanent building, community shelter, or storm shelter. Identify this location in advance, because once a tornado warning is active, it may already be too dangerous to travel. If your mobile home community has a designated storm shelter, know exactly where it is and how long it takes to reach on foot.
What to Do If You’re in a Car
If you can see a tornado in the distance while driving, the best option is to drive away from it. Tornadoes typically move from southwest to northeast, so driving south or toward any area of clear sky generally increases the distance between you and the storm. Drive through hail if you have to. Hail will damage your car but is unlikely to kill you.
If the tornado is close and you cannot outrun it, pull over, turn off the engine (this disables the airbags, which could injure you if triggered by debris), and crouch below the steering wheel. Position yourself lower than the bottom of the windows, since glass is the weakest part of the vehicle. Your car’s frame still provides a shell of protection against flying debris, which makes it generally safer than being exposed in the open.
If you’re in a completely open area with no car and no building, lying flat in a low ditch or depression is a last resort. Cover your head with your hands and arms.
Never Shelter Under a Highway Overpass
This is one of the most dangerous tornado myths. Highway overpasses act as wind tunnels, channeling air at higher speeds through the narrow gap. The National Weather Service warns that winds under an overpass can easily blow a person out from underneath and throw them hundreds of yards. You’re also fully exposed to flying debris, which travels faster through the compressed space. A low ditch beside the road is safer than an overpass. A sturdy building is safer than both.
Understanding Watches, Warnings, and the EF Scale
A tornado watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes to form. This is when you should review your plan, charge your phone, and move to your shelter location if you live in a mobile home. A tornado warning means a tornado has been spotted or detected on radar. All tornado warnings automatically trigger Wireless Emergency Alerts on your phone because every tornado warning is considered a significant threat to life.
Tornadoes are rated after the fact using the Enhanced Fujita Scale, based on the damage they cause:
- EF-0: 65 to 85 mph winds. Breaks tree branches, damages signs.
- EF-1: 86 to 110 mph. Strips roof surfaces, destroys mobile homes.
- EF-2: 111 to 135 mph. Tears roofs off well-built homes, uproots large trees.
- EF-3: 136 to 165 mph. Destroys entire stories of well-built homes.
- EF-4: 166 to 200 mph. Levels well-built homes, throws cars.
- EF-5: Over 200 mph. Sweeps away foundations, deforms high-rise buildings.
You won’t know the rating of a tornado while it’s happening. Treat every tornado warning as if an EF-3 or higher is approaching, because you can’t tell the difference from inside your shelter.
Staying Safe After the Tornado Passes
The danger doesn’t end when the wind stops. Post-tornado hazards injure thousands of people every year, and many of these injuries are preventable.
Before moving through your home, check walls, floors, doors, windows, and staircases for visible damage. Cracks in the foundation or missing support beams mean the structure could collapse. If you hear shifting or unusual noises from the building, leave immediately.
Gas leaks are one of the most serious post-tornado risks. If you smell gas or see a broken gas line, shut off the main valve from outside the house. Do not use matches, lighters, light switches, or any appliances until you’re certain there’s no gas leak. A single spark from flipping a light switch can ignite leaking gas and cause an explosion. If you see frayed wiring, sparks, or smell something burning, shut off the main circuit breaker before doing anything else.
Outside, watch for downed power lines. Fallen lines can still carry lethal current even if they aren’t sparking visibly. Stay well clear and report them to your electric company. Wear thick-soled shoes when walking through debris, as nails, broken glass, and splintered wood cause a large share of post-tornado injuries.